Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Unusual 'Symptom'?

Summer is on: 50mg Azthioprine 150mg Prednisone 200mg Doxycycline 20mg Zantac 2 Tsp Pet-Tinic 500mg Milk Thistle and Probiotics She was on a raw diet, now I am feeding her the liver cleanse diet alone with wellness white fish and sweet potato. She just had a blood transfusion 2 days ago. She is better than she was pre-transfusion. But something new,her lower abdomen looks like it is spasming, twitching, jerking or throbbing. This has been going on most of the day. It so much that when she is sleeping, it almost looks like her leg is twitching. I called the vet and he said, if she did not seem distressed about it, it did not seem to be anything he would be to concerned with at this point. I trust my vet. But he is after all only human, and does not have all the answers. Have any of you ever seen or heard of this? Carrie and Summer

Carrie DFW

Carrie, Does the abdomen seem very full and rigid to you? Monitor her to see that she is peeing ok. This could be fluid retention in the abdomen or ascities. Also check her temperature tonight and again early in the morning (norm around 101). If the abdomen continues to feel full and rigid, she experiences any shortness of breath or seems to be in shock then call your vet immediately. my best patrice

Patrice NYS

We are at the vet now. I have only spoken with the tech so far. The triage Doctor said something about "the thumps" which seemed to have stopped, I just found out her hips hurt. I just don't know. Carrie & Summer

Carrie DFW

Carrie, What do we know today? patrice

Patrice NYS

How is Summer doing? Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pinevile PA

Carrie, how much does Summer weigh? The pred dosage seems a little on the high side to me! Is she not on cyclo??? Looking forward to getting an update. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Carrie, I share Johnny's concern about the high prednisone dose. Summer is a welsh Springer and if she is big she will not be heavier than 55-60 lbs. My dog never had a higher dose than 80mg. I think the rule of thumb is not more than 1 1/2 times the weight mg per pound. Mixing metric with standard, just to add to the confusion:) Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

Gosh you all are wonderful! It is fantastic to have all the advice and support. Okay, the ER vet and her regular vet consulted quite sometime over the phone last night. They both decided to lower her pred. She now is taking 50mg twice a day. Summer weighs only 40lbs. She seems to be doing pretty decent today. And woohoo...her level is at 24! And the rest of her blood work looked much better. Both vets called and checked on her a couple of times today. She was experiencing Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter (SDF), most often seen in horses. The ER vet thought it was due to electrolyte and calcium imbalance and stress.

Carrie DFW

Oops posted before I meant to! SDF in animals is more than just a hiccup. It really can be dangerous. So, I am just keeping an eye on her and making sure she is getting enough of the correct nutrients. I am beat, this really makes you tired! Carrie and Summer

Carrie DFW

That's sounds a little more like a reasonable dosage of pred...although still on the high side! If the crit keeps rising then I'd inquire on reducing the pred again in a week or so! ALSO, make sure you are using lots of milk thistle or equivalents to protect the liver from the drugs. Stomach protectants also! Now would be a good time to get copies of all the bloodwork done thus far. You might have to insist on getting them cause some vets can be ignorant about this! For anyone else reading this...the same applies! Get copies at each visit! Keep us posted on how Summer is doing. My thoughts and prayers are with you both. Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Hello All, the vets have all been good about giving me her lab results from the beginning. I take her folder with me to each appointment. She is taking Zantac and about 800mg Milk Thistle as well as probiotics. We want to make sure her crit levels have stabilized before decreasing anything since only last week she was 6%. I will update tomorrow after her appointment. Carrie & Summer

Carrie DFW

We went to the vet for blood tests today. And she seems to be holding her crit up pretty well. She was a 18% today. Her gums look good. I would write more but I am wiped!! Carrie & Summer

Carrie DFW

Thinking of you...we are on the same path this week. Pat & Juliet

Pat Vermont USA

Carrie, We all know how exhausting this journey is so make sure you take care of yourself too. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Carrie, how's Summer doing? Is her crit stable still or going up? Continued thoughts and prayers, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

On Monday it was @18. The doc said it is normal to go down a bit after the trasfusion. He was happy to see it was still elevated. She gets checked again, Monday. She seems happier, this peeing every couple of hours is exhausting! Reminds me of when my son was first born! Here gums are not white. And She is still eating and taking her meds, vitamins and supplements, like a trooper! It is 5:00 and I have slept maybe an hour. Going to try to get a bit more, before I have to get up! Carrie and Summer

Carrie DFW

Glad she is doing good. I hear you. It's very exhausting.

Jerry

Carrie, yes it is very exhausting, physically and of course mentally. You compare it to having a newborn. Remember when you had that baby, every time the baby slept, you had to sleep? I know it was not easy then and it is not easy now, but try and get lots of rest for yourself. You are no use to Summer when you are wasted and depressed. She needs you rested and in a good mood! I am so glad Summer is eating and taking her meds. That is a good sign, she is a fighter! Best wishes, Brigitte & the poodle boys

Brigitte BC Canada

LOL @ the frequent peeing!!! Been there, done that! It DOES get better though! Just takes a little while for the body to get used to the drugs! It IS really good to keep her drinking lots of water though...that way it flushes the body and helps the kidneys! I've sat Tessy down when she first got sick and had a little talk with her asking why she was driving me crazy! She said RUFF! I took that as her saying get used to it! hehe Good to hear that Summer's numbers are remaining stable! That's good news! Hugs and scritches for Summer, Johnny & Tessy

Johnny

Dear Carrie, I am back on the boards after being leveled from a flu virus. The stress of the holidays coupled with the stress of caring for our pets with this horrible disease really can take a toll on us. My vet has been slowly decreasing Gracie's meds in three week intervals and watching her closely throughout. The decrease didn't begin until Gracie's PCV level reached above 35. I wish I had been more careful with Gracie's diet from the get go. She developed pancreatitis from having too much fat in her diet. She is on a low fat diet now. I think it is important to avoid too many treats and high fat foods at this time. Carrie, you are doing great with Summer. Please take time out to take care for yourself also. We often forget to do that when we are the caregivers. hugs and blessings, Gwen and Gracie

Gwen Rhinebeck

This thread was discussed between 01/01/2011 and 08/01/2011

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